WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- On October 12, President Donald Trump will address the 14th annual Values Voter Summit taking place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. This will be Donald Trump's fourth trip to the Summit, including in 2017 when he became the first sitting president to attend.

President Trump will be the keynote speaker Saturday night at Family Research Council’s Faith, Family, and Freedom gala. At the gala, Family Research Council will honor Pastor Andrew Brunson with the Cost of Discipleship Award on the one-year anniversary of his release. For nearly two years, Pastor Brunson was imprisoned and confined to house arrest in Turkey over false charges. The Trump administration’s energetic diplomacy played a major role in securing Brunson’s release.

"Under the Trump administration, more has been done to secure religious freedom abroad than under any other president in living memory," said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

"President Trump has made religious freedom a priority in his foreign policy, appointing Sam Brownback as Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom, and choosing a Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who has made religious freedom a priority. This emphasis has yielded tangible results, including an annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, dedicated funds to protect houses of worship, sanctions against regimes notorious for their religious persecution, and the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson and others imprisoned for their faith around the world. Weeks ago, President Trump also became the first sitting president to emphasize the need to protect international religious freedom in a speech before the U.N. General Assembly," concluded Perkins.

Thousands of grassroots activists from around the country will gather in the nation's capital to hear from President Trump. FRC Action’s Values Voters Summit is sponsored by American Family Association, American Values, Judicial Crisis Network, and Family Research Council, and co-sponsored by Columbia International University, Truth & Liberty Coalition, and Timothy Plan with The Daily Signal as Media Sponsor and Bott Radio Network as Radio Row Sponsor. Samaritan’s Purse is participating as a Faith in Action Partner. An exhibit hall, book signings, radio row, media row, and much more will be packed into this three-day conference.